To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any protocol or working arrangements in place for support and provision between his Department and (i) Mears; (ii) the Home Office; and (iii) the Housing Executive, regarding emergency provision for residents who need to be rehoused due to recent public disorder.

(i, ii & iii) Following the civil unrest on the evening and night of 9 June, the Department for Communities worked collaboratively with partners across the Northern Ireland Civil Contingencies response structures and chaired the Humanitarian Assistance Sub-Cell of the PSNI-led Strategic Co-ordination Group, which included the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE).

The Sub-Cell focused on identifying suitable premises to provide temporary shelter, facilitating safe transport for those displaced, and identifying vulnerable individuals who required direct humanitarian assistance but were not in contact with statutory services.

Officials were in regular and frequent contact with the Housing Executive throughout the disorder and its aftermath. Well-established engagement and communication arrangements are in place between the Department and the Housing Executive, enabling information to be shared quickly and effectively as circumstances evolved.

Officials also maintained regular contact with Mears and the Home Office to ensure that the Department and, by extension the Humanitarian Assistance Sub-Cell of the PSNI-led Strategic Co-ordination Group, had a comprehensive understanding of emerging housing issues and pressures.

The Housing Executive had direct contact with, or received presentations from, more than 120 households during the course of the unrest, providing housing advice, homelessness assistance and, where appropriate, access to temporary accommodation. The responsiveness of the arrangements in place is further demonstrated by the Housing Executive's ability to establish housing advice clinics within hours of additional displaced households being brought to the attention of both Departmental officials and the Housing Executive.

It should be noted that where a household presented to the Housing Executive and had not yet received a decision on its asylum application, responsibility for providing accommodation and related support rested with Mears and the Home Office, as such households are not eligible for housing assistance under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988. In these cases, households would be advised on the appropriate organisation to contact for assistance.

For households granted leave to remain, the Housing Executive’s Refugee Integration Team will contact the individual to assist with managing the transition from asylum seeker to refugee with an accommodation focus.